Could we trade down in the first and maybe still take Heath Miller? Then possibly o-line and saftey in 2nd rd. It wouldn't be horrible to still have a great young tight end to go with a mentor in Pollard?

1) The biggest demand for a TE is gone: Detroit signed Pollard
2) He injured himself and had surgery which thereby...
3) Incapacitated his ability to work out at the combine and...
4) Won't workout at his pro day

When you can't even get a read on a player anymore the stock is going down.

But if he fell to us in the 2nd round... that's a different story (the Shaun Rogers and Boss Bailey story)

Carolinia is going to take miller (IMO) If not I think the Steelers will nab him

March 18th, 2005, 9:08 am

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 9967Location: Dallas

I'm guessing the Lions will re-sign FitzSimmons at this point. His production slipped last year but he looked good his rookie year and can be a decent backup at a better price. If the Lions do look to draft a TE now, I think it would be in round 3 or later.

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

I think there is a chance that the Lions could take Miller, but his injury is a big concern. I think if the Lions trade down to somewhere around #20 or below, he will be a big consideration. Despite not seeing him workout there is enough game film to see. And despite the signing of Pollard and Fitzsimmons coming back (most likely), the Lions usually carry three tight ends on the roster. Also, Pollard is 33 and probably won't play out his contract. If they sign Miller, he will have time to heal and develop.

At this point I wouldn't rule out Miller being drafted by the Lions, but it's much less likely than before. If he falls to the second (he won't get past Pittsburgh in round one though) the Lions will nab him for sure.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

March 18th, 2005, 10:26 am

The Legend

Team President - Rod Wood

Joined: February 11th, 2005, 3:01 pmPosts: 4886Location: WSU

If Miller gets drafted by us he will start at some point in '05. He is a definite 1st rd pick. Pollard isnt much of a use besides hands in the red zone, an obvious area where Stephen A failed (although Joey blew more throws then Alexander dropped). The reason Fitzimmons production was down is Stephen Alexander. Alexander was a huge upgrade over Ricks and is also an effective blocker. I will continue to say this, Pollard is not much of an upgrade if at all over Alexander. I agree that Pollard in 3 years wont have much left, we still need a young TE to bring in. I am still upset that we didnt pull the trifecta last year and take Ben Troupe when he slid into the 2nd rd. Lehman infatuation puzzles me.

All valid and good info... I guess I 'm just eager for the lions to start upgrading positions rather than simply plugging holes. M & M's off season shopping have filled some pretty important needs. I think we would all agree that there are more starters than just Harrington that need a little fire lit under them. Hopefully our first three picks this year will offer some stiff competition so our 3rd and 4th year vets can start stepping up!

March 19th, 2005, 7:22 am

jomo269

NFL Team Captain

Joined: January 27th, 2005, 9:12 pmPosts: 1610Location: Midland, MI

Lordy, lordy lordy...... it sounds as if your talking about a quality football team. I feel like Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz. There's no place like Detroit, there's noplace like Detroit, there's no...... well you get my drift. It looks like a good year to be a Lion's fan.

Who's your daddy Mr. Farve

March 19th, 2005, 9:47 am

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

The Legend wrote:

Lehman infatuation puzzles me.

What's your beef with Lehman? That puzzles me. He played extremely well last year despite being a rookie and playing in a position which really doesn't suit his strong points.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

March 19th, 2005, 11:01 am

conversion02

RIP Killer

Joined: January 26th, 2005, 9:34 pmPosts: 10863Location: Sycamore, IL

We could always take another TE other than Miller. There's a lot of decent TEs in the draft (not great, good TEs). Alex Smith is a good option if he could better his blocking; #42 is still a little early for him IMO. Very late 2nd he would be a good pick.

March 19th, 2005, 12:18 pm

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

conversion02 wrote:

We could always take another TE other than Miller. There's a lot of decent TEs in the draft (not great, good TEs). Alex Smith is a good option if he could better his blocking; #42 is still a little early for him IMO. Very late 2nd he would be a good pick.

I agree that Smith would be a good option if the Lions pass on Miller in round one. However, I don't agree with the notion that there's a lot of decent TE's in this draft though. Miller, Everett, Smith, Bergan, Hall and Dreesen are all the decent ones. Beyond them, I wouldn't be surprised to see the rest go undrafted. There are some raw prospects who have potential but I wouldn't go so far as to call them 'decent'.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

March 19th, 2005, 1:21 pm

The Legend

Team President - Rod Wood

Joined: February 11th, 2005, 3:01 pmPosts: 4886Location: WSU

I dont have "beef" with Lehman. I like him enough that I dont think DJ is such a smart pick for us. Simply put, Lehman has not been as good as his press clippings. You are right, he played out of position but extremely well, no he did not.
Seems like he is being pencilled in as a STAR player. I am skeptical, I havent seen that quality from him yet. He is not as physical, fluid or explosive as I thought he would be. I like that he was durable and able to play in all defensive sets and would have been better as a WLB. He is committed and a hard worker, eats drinks and sleeps football. We are well stocked with young LBs and I like the situation overall but I prefer James Davis over Lehman at this point. I hope Lehman can make the same kind of improvement between year 1 and 2 that Davis did, he has the work ethic to pull it off. If he does and Boss is healthy that is another big defensive upgrade! I like Alex Lewis a lot as well. He is explosive.

March 19th, 2005, 2:46 pm

conversion02

RIP Killer

Joined: January 26th, 2005, 9:34 pmPosts: 10863Location: Sycamore, IL

Carolina taking Miller would be a reach. However, the Steelers taking him would be a good pick...and a need for the Steelers. Even though I hate the Steelers and "Big Ben." Did anyone else notice that the amount of Steelers fans almost tripled last year? Damn Steelers bandwagon.

March 21st, 2005, 10:14 am

liontrax

#1 Overall Pick

Joined: March 21st, 2005, 2:11 pmPosts: 1536Location: Wolverine, Mi.

m2karateman wrote:

conversion02 wrote:

We could always take another TE other than Miller. There's a lot of decent TEs in the draft (not great, good TEs). Alex Smith is a good option if he could better his blocking; #42 is still a little early for him IMO. Very late 2nd he would be a good pick.

I agree that Smith would be a good option if the Lions pass on Miller in round one. However, I don't agree with the notion that there's a lot of decent TE's in this draft though. Miller, Everett, Smith, Bergan, Hall and Dreesen are all the decent ones. Beyond them, I wouldn't be surprised to see the rest go undrafted. There are some raw prospects who have potential but I wouldn't go so far as to call them 'decent'.

Agree that this is a thin year for TE's. I believe Miller would be a HUGE reach at 10, and may fall to the end of round 1. Smith should still be there in the 2nd, but I would prefer the Lion's to take one later (4-7) to develop. They have that luxury now. Most TE's coming out of college are not adept at blocking. And the ones who are usually are not natural pass receivers.

March 21st, 2005, 2:46 pm

conversion02

RIP Killer

Joined: January 26th, 2005, 9:34 pmPosts: 10863Location: Sycamore, IL

Every once in awhile there's that Winslow, Shockey, or Gonzalez, but many are developmental. Those TE crops that Jeremy Shockey and Todd Heap came in are rare. This draft is definately not deep with TEs whatsoever, I agree, but there are some underrated TEs that could be decent late picks. I say there's quite a few decent prospects in a developmental aspect. Antonio Gates for example, was undrafted.

Eric Knott could be a steal in rd 6-7 if he actually played to his full potential.